New members join ZBA, Planning Board

Wednesday

Nov 6, 2013 at 12:01 AMNov 6, 2013 at 6:03 AM

A local police officer was voted onto the Taunton Planning Board during the city’s election held on Tuesday, while the Taunton Zoning Board of Appeals added at least one new face after the ballots were counted.

Marc Larocque

A local police officer was voted onto the Taunton Planning Board during the city’s election held on Tuesday, while the Taunton Zoning Board of Appeals added at least one new face after the ballots were counted.

In his first shot at a publicly elected position, Taunton Police Capt. John Reardon garnered 2,422 votes to earn a seat on the Taunton Planning Board. Reardon joins fellow Taunton police detective Manny Spencer (2,827 votes), who won his sixth two-year term on the seven-person board as an incumbent in the city election.

“I’m anxious to get started,” said Reardon, whose campaign consisted of a Facebook page created by his daughter and some yard signs. “I want to get my feet down on the ground and get running with it. I can’t wait to serve the community.”

Spencer said that he looks forward to continuing the progress of the board, with aspects of the developing Myles Standish Industrial Park and residential street development in the city.

“It’s always been an honor to be a member of the board,” Spencer said.

Incumbent Anthony Abreau led the eight-candidate field for Planning Board, with 3,088 votes, followed by Daniel Dermody (3,076 votes), Spencer, Robert Campbell (2,788), Arthur D. Lopes (2,581), Reardon and Joshua Borden (1,950). Another incumbent, Michael Ritz, lost his seat on the Planning Board, finishing with 1,716 votes. A total of 6,815 ballots were cast in the race, with voters allowed to cast up to seven votes on the Planning Board positions.

Topping the field of 11 candidates who ran for five regular spots — and two alternate seats — on the Zoning Board of Appeals was incumbent Joseph Amaral, who raked in 3,157 votes. Amaral was followed by incumbent Estele Borges (3,208 votes), who also ran successfully for City Council, in addition to incumbents Dennis Ackerman (2,349), Peter Wasylow (2,294), Wayne Berube (2,212) and Steven Vieira (2,093), along with challenger Michael Staples (2,073). However, because Borges is taking a seat on the City Council, it may leave a seat open for George L. Moniz, Jr., who finished next in line with 1,728, followed by Steven Figueiredo, Joseph Olaniyan and John Hagberg.

“It’s exciting times on the board as the city goes through changes as far as growth,” said Vieira, a real estate company owner, who was voted to his second two-year term. “I’m raising my kids here and just want the city to have a bright future.”

Vieira said he looks to continue the board’s progress, which in his last term included working on the Taunton Housing Authority Hope VI project, approval of solar farm projects and permitting for the new Fore Kicks soccer facility recently constructed in the city.

“It’d be great to continue the business growth in the city,” he said.

Daniel Dermody, who was elected to his seventh term on the Planning Board, said now that the City Council granted his board authority for site plan review, it has made the permitting process more efficient. Dermody said the last two years have been busy, causing his meetings to reach two hours rather than the 20-minute meetings of the past. Dermody said he looks forward to a “team approach” the next two years.

“I find myself doing a lot more research and spending time looking at policies and aspects of decisions made by our boards,” Dermody said of his work on the Planning Board. “It’s a lot of listening.”

For Dennis Ackerman, it will be his tenth two-year term on the Zoning Board of Appeals. “I’m excited and pleased that the citizens think I’m doing a good enough job to keep doing it,” Ackerman said.

Peter Corr, Mark Blackwell and Joseph Martin all ran unopposed for re-election to the TMLP Commission.